MBP Harlem/Uptown News: Summons Help, Tree Survey Results, Early Voting And Morw

Borough President Gale Brewer writes the heat and humidity are breaking!  Scroll all the way down for our third weekly “Quirk Of The Week.”

COVID

(We have plenty of free test kits and masks available for pickup during business hours at my district office: 563 Columbus Ave. at 87th St.)

The COVID Omicron variant BA.5—which has been called “the worst version of the virus”—now accounts for more than 85% of all cases of covid-19 and more than 41% of U.S. counties are experiencing high levels of community spread according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And just 48% of the country has received a booster vaccine, and only about one-third of those over age 50 have gotten a second booster.  Against that backdrop, Dr. Anthony Fauci last week said people who are not up-to-date on their vaccines and boosters are “going to get into trouble.” 

The Washington Post last week published this guide: “When you have covid, here’s how you know you are no longer contagious.” “It’s complicated. Be forewarned: Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are nuanced but a little confusing. Those guidelines are under review and may change. Several infectious-disease experts said they believe patients with covid should have a negative antigen test — which gives results within minutes — before exiting isolation. The CDC currently leaves that as an option and does not explicitly recommend it.”

According to ChartBeat, NYC Will Scrap School-Based COVID Testing This Fall. 

Monkeypox

According to the new DOHMH Monkeypox data page, there are 2,039 people in New York City who have tested positive for orthopoxvirus/monkeypox as of today (8/11), up from 1,630 last Thursday, 8/4 (these numbers are likely a huge undercount).

The CDC and FDA are changing dosage of the monkeypox vaccine to stretch out the limited vaccine supply. They will split the current dose into five doses, and administer it just under the skin. 

This shows welcome flexibility in the use of vaccines that would have been even more welcome last year with the first round of COVID vaccines (you may recall that the second doses of mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna were stockpiled even as there were shortages of appointments for first shots). The City’s Dept. of Health has already been using available doses for first shots only, to extend protections as much as possible. 

If you have symptoms—a new or unexplained rash or sore—you should see a health care provider for testing (If you don’t have a provider, call 311 or search the NYC Health Map).

More information about how you can prevent monkeypox. And Monkeypox 101 here. The main DOHMH Monkeypox page. Finally, to get text alerts about vaccination appointments and other monkeypox updates, text “MONKEYPOX” to 692-692. 

Choice

Two more dispiriting news stories about abortion: Indiana lawmakers approved a near-total ban on abortion, the first state to do so since Roe was overturned.

And Facebook Gave Nebraska Cops A Teen’s DMs. They Used Them To Prosecute Her For Having An Abortion. 

This coming Monday, 8/15, from 10 am to 4 pm, outside my district office at 563 Columbus Avenue at 87th St., I’m cosponsoring a pop-up location of the City’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH). That’s the office which handles summonses New Yorkers receive from City agencies, including the Dept. of Sanitation, Dept. of Buildings, Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the Dept. of Transportation. They can help with existing summonses and educate people about what to do if they receive a summons. OATH staff will be able to check and determine if someone has an outstanding summons and advise as to their options on how to proceed. OATH will provide materials for individuals on its remote hearing options and other free resources.

News & information.

Do you know a city employee who has gone above and beyond? I’m taking names! Please email their name (and explain why!) soonest to district6@council.nyc.gov with “HERO” in the subject line. 

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The saga of DOE budget cuts continues. On Tuesday, 8/9, the NYS Appellate Division canceled the New York State Supreme Court’s order last Friday, 8/5, that prevented the Dept. of Education from implementing cuts to the fiscal year 2022-23 budget. This means the $200+ million cuts are back in effect. Arguments on the appeal are expected to be heard on August 29. It’s puzzling to me that Mayor Adams doesn’t come to the table and negotiate with the City Council for a solution.

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On Earth Day in April, my office hosted a tree care demonstration and kicked off a survey of the 5,200 tree beds in our district. Over 120 volunteers surveyed virtually all of them to assess planting needs, health conditions, rat issues, and litter. One of my summer interns, Olivia Pearl, who’s in the Masters in Public Health program at Columbia, wrote up the results (please read them!) and we’ve shared this information with the Dept. of Parks and Recreation, Dept. of Transportation, and Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene and look forward to their response. I’m incredibly grateful to the volunteers who made this project possible!

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I’m deeply worried about the pattern of fires, injuries and deaths that have, literally, been sparked by E-bike batteries.

That’s why I wrote this op-ed for the NY Daily News calling on FDNY, app-based delivery services, manufacturers, and even the Underwriters Laboratory to get going on curbing this problem. Nicole Gelinas also wrote well on the topic in the NY Post on Monday (8/8). 

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I wrote four agencies this week—the Depts. of Health, Environmental Protection, Housing Preservation and Development, and Buildings—to ask them to coordinate and collaborate on plans to eradicate, rather than just minimize, lead poisoning in NYC, which still affects thousands of children each year. Read the letter here. 

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Early Voting for the August Primary starts this Saturday, 8/13 and continues until 8/21. If you need to know where to vote early, do a lookup here (while some polling locations for some voters have changed since June, the UWS sites have not changed as per BOE). Early voting hours vary:

• Saturday, August 13, 9 am – 5 pm
• Sunday, August 14, 9 am – 5 pm
• Monday, August 15, 9 am – 5 pm
• Tuesday, August 16, 10 am – 8 pm
• Wednesday, August 17, 10 am – 8 pm
• Thursday, August 18, 10 am – 6 pm
• Friday, August 19, 7 am – 3 pm
• Saturday, August 20, 9 am – 5 pm
• Sunday, August 21, 9 am – 5 pm

If you’ve requested an absentee ballot, it should be arriving shortly.

Be sure to return it by 8/23, either by mail in the envelope provided, in person at an early voting site, or in person on Primary Day.

If you don’t feel comfortable mailing your completed ballot, or can’t drop it off in-person, Invisible Hands volunteers will deliver your ballot for free! 

Click here to request a volunteer. 

Questions? Call the Board of Elections at 1-866-868-3692. Assistance is available in multiple languages.

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The MTA has issued its draft Environmental Assessment for the “Central Business District Tolling Program” (aka congestion pricing), calling for tolls ranging from $9 to $23 to enter Manhattan south of 60th St. by car.

They are hosting six virtual hearings to accept public input. Visit mta.info/CBDTP at the dates and times listed below. (Comments at these sessions will also become part of the formal record; they will be accepted online as well as email, mail, voicemail, and fax.)

• Thursday, Aug. 25, 5 – 8 pm. 
• Saturday, Aug. 27, 10 am – 1 pm. 
• Sunday, Aug. 28, 1 – 4 pm.
• Monday, Aug. 29, 1 – 4 pm. 
• Tuesday, Aug. 30, 5 – 8 pm. 
• Wednesday, Aug. 31, 10 am – 1 pm. 

I’m working with Community Board 7, our two BIDs, City agencies, and fellow elected officials to conceive a strategy to address the inevitable parking issues related to tolling below 60th Street. Read more in yesterday’s TheCity.nyc piece, “MTA Eyes Congestion Pricing Toll of Up to $23 Per Vehicle Trip into Manhattan”.

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New Council district boundaries will take effect in time for local elections in 2023. To help understand the choices facing the NYC Districting Commission, I’m hosting a Redistricting Info Session this Tuesday, 8/16, at 6:30 pm, via Zoom.

We’ll have reps from the commission on hand to explain the process and how people can testify at their upcoming hearings.

Click the link to register, or use this Meeting ID: 845 8755 9830 and this passcode: 388968

There are three 6th District maps shown in this PDF document:

• The current boundaries (set in 2021);
• The Commission’s proposed boundaries (proposed 7/15); and
• The “Unity” plan which is the one I support (proposed by a coalition of civil and voting rights groups).

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The New York City Districting Commission has announced hearing dates for those interested in testifying about the preliminary maps for 51 new City Council districts; one in each of the boroughs to receive more public input.

The process has been remarkably transparent. Besides testifying in person or by Zoom at the meetings, the public may submit written testimony and maps by email to PublicTestimony@redistricting.nyc.gov, and by mail at NYC Districting Commission, 253 Broadway, 3rd Floor, NY, NY 10007.

• Tuesday, 8/16 5:30 to 9 pm: Museum of the Moving Image, Sumner Redstone Theater, 36-01 35 Ave Astoria, Queens.
• Wednesday, 8/17 5:30 to 9 pm: Lehman College (CUNY), Gillet Auditorium, 250 Bedford Park Blvd West, The Bronx.
• Thursday, 8/18 5:30 to 9 pm: Staten Island Borough Hall, 10 Richmond Terrace.
• Sunday, 8/21 3:30 to 7 pm: Medgar Evers College (CUNY), School of Science Health & Technology, Dining Hall, 1638 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn. 
• Monday 8/22, 5:30 – 9 pm: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Malcolm X Blvd., Harlem, Manhattan.

Residents who would like to submit maps for their testimony may draw their own maps using DistrictR, a mapping tool available on the commission’s website.

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Last week, my staff received several worried/upset calls from parents trying to enroll their children in Universal Pre-K at the Morningside Immersion Playcare, a great dual-language daycare in this district.

When they tried to sign up on MySchools, though, the school did not appear as an option despite having been accepted into the NYC Dept. of Education Dual Language Program. Working with Dr. Gail Foster, Morningside’s founder and CEO, and DOE staff, we got the daycare added to MySchools.

Two volunteer opportunities

The Manhattan Community Boathouse offers free kayaking at Pier 96 in Hudson River Park on the weekends, staffed fully by volunteers. A new volunteer orientation takes place this Saturday, August 13 at 1 pm. Click here to sign up.

DOROT is looking for volunteers to assist with their 9/11 Day of Service Package Delivery, which brings hundreds of volunteers together to deliver a thoughtful care package of treats (provided by DOROT) and connect by phone or in person with an older neighbor. For more information about location and timing and to register click here.

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At today’s (8/11) Council meeting, I introduced a Resolution with Manhattan Borough President Levine and Brooklyn Borough President Reynoso calling upon the Federal Aviation Administration to ban all non-essential helicopter travel, including tourist and chartered flights over New York City. This is a continuation of strategies that I have tried to ban disruptive helicopter traffic over our city.

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I’m very proud (if I can pat myself on the back just a little) that the public education non-profit No Limits Learning was awarded $10,000 to conduct outreach among youth for the NYC Civic Engagement Commission—because they saw the request for proposals in this newsletter!

Useful items

The operator of the Central Park Loeb Boathouse has posted notice that he is closing the venue, and NYC Parks is seeking a new vendor.

This is a chance to run a truly unique place in the city; the deadline for proposals is NEXT FRIDAY, 8/19.

According to Patch, “To express interest or get more information, concessionaires can contact Andrew Copppola, Parks’s senior project manager for the revenue division, at 212-360-3454 or at andrew.coppola@parks.nyc.gov.”

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The NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets and NYC Parks urge anyone who sees a Spotted Lanternfly to immediately kill it.

These are colorful little bugs that have made it here from Asia, but they’re more than a nuisance.

They will damage fruit crops (apples, grapes, walnuts, and hops) and trees (maple), among others. Learn more at “The Spotted Lanternfly Returns” from I Love the Upper West Side.  

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NEXT Thursday (8/18) will be another “Pickup Thursday” for my Fresh Food for Seniors program (in partnership with Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine). That’s when you can stop by the Goddard Riverside Older Adult Center in Harlem between 1 – 3 pm, pay $10, and order a bag of fresh local produce (a $15+ value) for pickup on 9/1. Sort of like a one-week CSA! Here’s the schedule for the rest of the season:

• August 18 (Sign up for Sept 1)
• September 1 (Sign up on Aug. 18)
• September 15 (Sign up on Sept. 1)
• September 29 (Sign up on Sept. 15)
• October 13 (Sign up on Sept. 29)
• October 27 (Sign up on Oct. 13)
• November 10 (Sign up on Oct. 27)

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New York State’s Health Care and Mental Hygiene Worker Bonus (HWB) Program has launched, providing frontline healthcare workers (with base salaries under $125,000) bonuses for their dedication during the COVID pandemic. Learn more about the requirements here.

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The St. Agnes branch of the NYPL will close temporarily beginning this Monday, 8/15, to facilitate floor replacement and building repairs; it’s expected to reopen in December. (The Bloomingdale branch of the NYPL reopened last week, following their building repairs.)

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Con Edison is doing work affecting the following streets: 

• W. 83rd St. bet. Riverside and Broadway continue until mid-August.
• W. 83 St. bet. Broadway and Columbus, until the end of September. 
• W. 83 St. bet. Columbus and Central Park West until the end of October.
• W. 85 bet. Broadway and Amsterdam, scheduled for 8/15 to 9/24
• W. 71 St bet. Broadway and Columbus until the end of August. 

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Community Board 7’s Senior Task Force’s Housing 101 Senior Forums have been posted:

• Session I: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llDNt9y8vXQ&t=3s
• Session II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcWPCYB0gSo&t=2s 
• Session III: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfEzW4bLTKk

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Mayor Adams and DSNY Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced that starting this fall, weekly residential curbside composting pickups will begin in Queens, which comprises about one quarter of the 8 million pounds of organic waste citywide every day (which is one-third of the overall total of 24 million. It’s not a pilot, not a couple of Community Boards, not big buildings only—everywhere. This will make New York City home to the largest curbside composting program in the nation—tackling both the climate crisis (organics decompose into harmful methane gas) and the pandemic-driven rat boom at once. 

The Queens program is also not by request only—which is what we have right now in Community District 7, one of seven total districts being served today with organics pickups. Our district’s pickup tonnage has yet to reach pre-COVID levels. So, please, sign up here to be added to a current route and get a free brown bin! Composting is something you can do RIGHT NOW to help address climate change! The West Side Rag did an excellent roundup of the state of UWS composting.

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Monday, 8/15, 1 pm: The National League of Cities will be hosting a webinar for cities applying for Safe Streets and Roads for All grants available now from the US Dept. of Transportation (applications are closing 9/15). Register at this link. 

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Applications are now open for the NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre, administered by the NY Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. The Women’s Fund provides grants of up to $50,000 to encourage and support the creation of content that reflects the voices and perspectives of all who identify as women; in this 2022/23 cycle, it will distribute $2M in funding for projects to be completed by 3/31/2024. Click that first link to learn more or to register for info sessions to explain how to apply:

• Music Category: 8/17, 2022, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET; Click here to register
• Media Category: 9/7, 2022, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET
• Theatre Category: 9/28, 2022, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET
• Timelines and Budget: 10/12, 2022, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM ET

Registrations will open a week before each event and all sessions will be recorded and made available on NYFA’s Youtube page. Applications close 11/1/22 at 5 pm; recipients are notified in March, 2023.

Coincidentally (or not!) NYFA also just posted a useful how-to, How to Write a Strong Application about any grant application. 

JOBS

The MTA is hiring “Transit Cleaners” at a starting rate of $19.03/hr with benefits. No experience or education required. Apply online by 8/19. 

The NY District Council of Carpenters’ Training Center is recruiting women for general carpentry. On Wednesday, 9/7, from 7 – 7:30 am at 395 Hudson St., apprenticeship applications will be accepted at their offices. Lines often form the night before, on the Houston St. side of the building.

Events

Today is the start of Harlem Week, with a huge variety of events and attractions. Click that link to browse around. Tomorrow, Friday, 8/12, at 7 pm in Marcus Garvey Park (5th Ave. at 122nd St.) will be the Wycliffe Gordon Quartet, part of both Harlem Week and SummerFest from Jazzmobile. 

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Tonight, Thursday, 8/11, 6 – 9 pm, at The High Line: ¡Arriba! with DJ Mickey Perez and Bulla en el Barrio. They will perform, engage, and celebrate life through Bullerengue music, dance, and the stories these songs tell. Join them to dance or just enjoy the music. On the High Line between 15th and 16th St. enter at 14th St.

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Friday, 8/12, 5 pm, The Shed in Hudson Yards: Summer Sway, inspired by the rich history and vibrant presence of Black social dance in our city and beyond, continues  with DJ April Hunt + DJ Reborn. April Hunt is a DJ and community-builder who activates music and her platform, Mixtape, as a tool for recognition and celebration. DJ Reborn is a trailblazing international DJ, sound collage artist, and arts educator. Admission to Summer Sway is free. RSVPs are encouraged but not required; entry is first come, first served.

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Friday, 8/12, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, 275 Malcolm X Blvd: “The ABCs of SOPs” panel on legal requirements for cannabis businesses, co-sponsored by the Harlem Business Alliance and the JustUs Foundation.  

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Saturday, 8/13, 1 pm: Manhattan Community Boathouse volunteer training. Sign up here. The MCBH offers free kayaking at Pier 96 in Hudson River Park from 12 noon – 6 pm. The program is run by volunteers and funded by donations. MCBH’s volunteers are in fact the lifeblood of this terrific public waterfront access program.

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Saturday, 8/13, 5 pm, The Shed in Hudson Yards: Summer Sway, inspired by the rich history and vibrant presence of Black social dance in our city and beyond, continues  with Camille A. Brown & Dancers’ Every Body Move, a Bessie Award–winning, NYC-based dance company advancing the artistic vision of Camille A. Brown. Founded in 2006, the company performs locally and across the world, inviting audiences into stories and dialogues about race, culture, and identity. CABD is known for its introspective approach to cultural themes through visceral movement and sociopolitical dialogues. Camille A. Brown leads her dancers through excavations of ancestral stories, encouraging each dancer to embrace their unique embodiment of the artistic vision and gestural vocabulary. Admission to Summer Sway is free. RSVPs are encouraged but not required; entry is first come, first served.

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Saturday 8/13, 4 – 7 pm, W. 106th St. and CPW: “Great Jazz on the Great Hill,” presented by Jazzmobile.org, featuring Tammy Mccann, Antonio Hart Quartet & The Jimmy Heath Legacy Band. In Partnership with The Central Park Conservancy and Harlem Week. I am going– see you there!

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Continuing on the next two Saturdays in August (8/13 and 20) from 7 am – 1 pm: NYC Summer Streets is back. Everyone is invited to play, run, walk, and bike on Park Avenue and feeder streets, from Brooklyn Bridge to East Harlem. Public art installations, performances and activities will be along the route. Check out the activities, art and performances happening during Summer Streets 2022. On August 6, Citi Bike will be offering free day passes. Use the code SUMMER22 in the Citi Bike app to receive unlimited 30-minute rides on a classic Citi Bike for 24 hours. Click the links for more information.

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Saturday, 8/13, and Saturday 8/27, 1 – 4 pm: Family Workshops at the High Line. These hands-on art-making workshops explore what moves us to create, drawing inspiration from the public art and horticulture on the High Line, facilitated by the High Line’s summer teen staff and its education team. Workshops are free and open to the public and are intended for all ages; you may drop in at any time.  

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Saturday, 8/13, 4:30 pm, Grant’s Tomb: Bloomingdale School of Music summer students present a free concert, in partnership with NYC Parks. 

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There’s still some Shakespeare around town…  This year’s second production of Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park is As You Like It, runs through 9/11. Ticketing options:

• In-person distribution in Central Park;
• In-person lottery at The Public Theater;
• In-person distribution in the boroughs;
• A digital lottery with TodayTix; and
• In-person standby line in Central Park.

The Hudson Classical Theater Company is performing “Macbeth” at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, 89th St at Riverside Park, Thurs. – Sun, at 6:15 pm, until 8/21. 

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The Riverside Clay Tennis Association’s 2022 Sunset Concert Series continues every Saturday at 7 pm; here’s the lineup:

• 8/13, 7 pm: Jacob Varmus Quintet
• 8/20, 7 pm: Cynthia Sayer
• 8/27, 7 pm: Leon & The Peoples

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ArtCrawl Harlem invites all to their open studios on Governors Island every Saturday-Sunday, Noon – 5 pm, at 406b Colonels Row through October.

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Saturday, 8/13, 12 Noon – 9 pm,  Pier 76 (at 34th St.): Hudson River Park’s Blues BBQ Festival, the longest-running free blues festival in the New York area, dedicated to bringing in the most celebrated blues artists from across the country. This year the event will be hosted by guitarist Binky Griptite, with performers including Walter “Wolfman” Washington, Don Bryant, Bette Smith, Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers and Jackie Venson. Five restaurants will participate: Blue Smoke, Jase’s BBQ, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Kimchi Smoke, and Big Papa Smokem—along with beverages from  Allagash, Bronx Brewery, Sunday Beer Lager, Archer Roose Rose and Sparkling White Wine and Two Robbers Hard Seltzer. 

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Saturday, 8/13, 11:30 am – 7 pm, E. 120th Street & Harlem Art Park (Between Lexington & 3rd Ave.): The Afribembé Festival, an all-day Pan-African celebration of the African Diaspora’s creativity, musicality, intellectuality, and artistry, sponsored by the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute. The festival’s Bembé Stage will feature live DJ sets and artists representing various regions.

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Saturday 8/13, Noon – 7 pm, Marcus Garvey Park, 5th Ave. at 122nd St: Block Party Klassic Jamz, HipHop and R&B  with DJ Sly, DJ Crazy, DJ Chuck Chillout, and DJ BFats.

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Sundays from 2 – 4 pm, at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center at the Harlem Meer in Central Park, 110th St. near 5th Ave.: The Harlem Meer Music Festival. Remaining performances: 8/14, Clean Money Music; 8/21, Despers USA Steel Orchestra.

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Sunday, 8/14, 1 – 4 pm, Amsterdam and 109th St. Open Street: Homemade History Exchange, a project of the Columbus Amsterdam BID and the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group.

View a treasure chest of historical photos, articles, and maps related to the Bloomingdale neighborhood. Be an active participant—bring along any historical photos or other items that you have that might be of interest to others. 

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Tuesday–Friday, 8/16 – 19, 6:30 pm, the 19th annual Central Park Conservancy Film Festival will be taking place on the landscape between Sheep Meadow and the 72nd Street Cross Drive. Sponsored by National Geographic, this year’s festival features documentary films:

• Tuesday, August 16: The Territory (premiere) (Rain date for The Territory is August 17 in lieu of America’s National Parks.)
• Wednesday, August 17: America’s National Parks (If Tuesday’s premiere of The Territory is shifted to Wednesday, it will substitute for America’s National Parks.)
• Thursday, August 18: Fire of Love
• Friday. August 19: JANE

Gates open at 6:30 pm; programming and music from 6:30 pm until the film start at dusk.
Register at this link for any or all films.

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Wednesday, 8/17, 1 pm: Jazz+Wednesdays at the American Folk Art Museum. Guitarists Bill Wurtzel and Jay Leonhart perform standards from the American Songbook. Limited seating is available but admission is free if you register in advance.

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NEXT Thursday (8/18) will be another “Pickup Thursday” for my Fresh Food for Seniors program (in partnership with Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine). That’s when you can stop by the Goddard Riverside Older Adult Center between 1 – 3 pm, pay $10, and order a bag of fresh local produce (a $15+ value) for pickup on 9/1. Sort of like a one-week CSA!

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Saturday 8/20, Pier 76: Kids Learn to Ride sponsored by Bike New York. Registration typically opens up a week before the scheduled class; click the first link to register. 

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Saturday–Sunday, 8/20 – 21, 2 – 6 pm, Morris Jumel Mansion: 30th Annual Jazz at the Mansion Concert. The lineup:

• Rudel Drears – Piano, Vocals, Founder & Musical Director
• Marjorie Eliot – Piano, Founder & Artistic Director
• Sedric Choukroun – Saxophone
• Nicholas Mauro – Trumpet
• Jeffrey Michels – Guitar
• Yuma Takagi – Bass
• Will Glass – Drums, Percussion

This outdoor event is free and open to the public, but has limited capacity, so arrive early to obtain a seat. In case of rain, the concert will be canceled. 

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Friday, 8/26, Haven Plaza on 168 St. and Ft. Washington Ave. in Inwood: “Encanto” outdoor screening on a giant screen! Sponsored by Inwood Art Works. At 7:30 pm, there’s a pre-show by WonderSpark Puppets; screening at dusk. RSVP at the link. 

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The Metropolitan Opera’s 13th Summer HD Festival returns to Lincoln Center 8/26 – 9/5. For each performance, approximately 3,000 first-come, first-served seats will be available on the Lincoln Center Plaza, as well as additional space for overflow crowds. No tickets are required, and there are no rain dates. It will kick off with a film screening of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. The rest of the lineup features ten encore presentations from the company’s acclaimed “Live in HD” series of recorded operas, including Porgy and Bess, Philip Glass’s Akhnaten, and Terence Blanchard’s superb Fire Shut Up in My Bones. For the full line up, click the link. 

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Monday, Labor Day, 9/5, 11 am: West Indian Day Parade, is probably the most exciting Labor Day Parade in town (especially since organized labor schedules its parade the following weekend!). It’s the culmination of New York Caribbean Carnival Week, and one of the best things to do over the summer. The parade starts at Schenectady Avenue and Eastern Parkway, and ends at Grand Army Plaza.

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The listings above are a small sample of just what WE know about. Find out more from these sources:

• The West Side Rag has a consistently great weekly events listing here. 
• Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City programming continues; check this link for calendar. Every Wednesday from 8 – 10pm on Jaffe Drive, Comedy Underground presents new standup comedians. Film at Lincoln Center screens several movies outdoors each week. 
• The Riverside Parks Conservancy and NYC Parks offer dozens of free “Summer on the Hudson” events all summer long. View their calendar here and follow them on Twitter @summeronhudson for up-to-the-minute event information (including cancellations).
• Hudson River Park events can be found here; sign up at the top of their webpage to receive their weekly newsletter with dozens of free events listed. 
• Battery Park Conservancy also sponsors lots of events; view their calendar here.
• The Columbus Avenue BID has a variety of events.
• Jazzmobile has events throughout the city through the end of August. Click “Calendar” on their home page.

Quirk of the week: Click the “global temperature change” graphics on this page and watch data visualizations of the rise in earth’s temperatures since 1850, designed by climate scientist Ed Hawkins from the UK’s National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Reading. Climate spiral visualizations have been widely distributed, a version was even part of the opening ceremony of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. (Thanks to Recomendo!)

Stay Safe, Gale Brewer

P.S. If you were sent this newsletter by a friend, sign up for your own subscription here!

P.P.S. If you have a problem or concern going forward, please contact me at gbrewer@council.nyc.gov, or call (917) 685-8657, or contact my Council district office at (212) 873-0282 and District6@council.nyc.gov.